:If you decide to go Christmas shopping in northeastern Connecticut on either of the next two Saturdays, especially at a store that sells toys, you’re likely to find a state trooper nearby.

Troopers from the Danielson barracks, along with members of the Putnam Police Department and corrections officers from the Brooklyn Correctional Institution, will be posted outside major retail stores throughout the region to collect toys for the Tommy Toy Fund.

“The state police toy drive allows us to give back to the communities we serve, thanks to the cooperation of the generous residents who purchase the toys and the businesses that allow us to set up collection points outside their stores,” Lt. Timothy Madden, commanding officer of the Danielson barracks, said. “All the toys we collect will be donated to the Tommy Toy Fund, so we know they will be used to help children from needy families in this region.”

He said the troopers, as well as Putnam officers and Department of Correction officers, are volunteering their time to help make this Christmas a happy occasion for children throughout northeastern Connecticut.

The officers will set up from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and again on Dec. 15, outside the following stores: both Benny’s stores on Route 12, near the Killingly-Plainfield town line, and on North Main Street (Route 12) in Danielson; Wal-Mart on Route 44 inPutnam; K-Mart on Route 44 in Putnam; and Ocean State Job Lot in the Brooklyn Shopping Center. In addition, residents may drop off toys at the lobby of the Troop D barracks at 55 Westcott Road in Danielson at any time of the day or night.

Brooklyn Resident Trooper Mark Juhola said the addition of the Putnam police officers and staff from the Brooklyn Correctional Institution is a welcome extension from the agencies’ collaboration in the recent Thanksgiving food drive.

“The added personnel will allow us to set up collection points at more locations, giving us the potential to increase the number of toys we collect,” Juhola said. “The more we collect, the easier it will be for the Tommy Toy Fund to help more families.”

Putnam Police Chief Rick Hayes said he knows many Putnam families have received toys from the Tommy Toy Fund during the nearly four decades the program has existed.

“Pitching in to help is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the Tommy Toy Fund,” he said.